Nikkei Asia: “While little has changed in the Taliban’s ways between its collapse in 2001 and its stunning return last August, everything has changed for Afghanistan’s women in that time. On May 7, the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice announced a draft law ‘advising’ women and girls to stay at home. If they step out, they are to cover themselves entirely, preferably with a garment that only shows their eyes — essentially, a burqa.”

“If a woman or girl fails to obey this rule, her closest male relative, or as the Taliban would have it, her guardian, will be punished or jailed.”

“Viktor Orbán has ruled out discussing the EU’s proposed oil embargo of Russia at next week’s summit of leaders, in a fresh blow to the union’s efforts to win backing for its landmark sanctions package,” the Financial Times reports.

” A senior member of Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guard was killed outside his home in Tehran on Sunday by unidentified gunmen on a motorbike,” the Los Angeles Times reports.

“Although the Guard gave only scant detail about the attack that occurred in broad daylight in the heart of Iran’s capital, the group blamed the killing on ‘global arrogance,’ typically code for the United States and Israel.”

“That accusation, as well as the style of the brazen killing, raised the possibility of a link with other motorbike slayings previously attributed to Israel in Iran, such as those targeting the country’s nuclear scientists. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.”

“President Biden said he would maintain longstanding U.S. policy toward Taiwan, a day after triggering global confusion when he said the U.S. would respond militarily to any effort by China to take the island by force,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

Said Biden: “My policy has not changed at all.”

The New York Times notes this is the third time Biden has suggested that the U.S. would defend Taiwan if China attacked — and in each instance, his remarks prompted a staff scramble to clean it up.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky compared Russia’s repeated attempts to take his life to the film “Groundhog Day,” Axios reports.

Said Zelensky: “I wake up in the morning and it’s still the same.” 

A Tory MP has been arrested on suspicion of rape – but has not yet been identified by either the media or Parliament, The Sun reports.

This was all Scotland Yard said: “A man was arrested on suspicion of indecent assault, sexual assault, rape, abuse of position of trust and misconduct in a public office.”

Washington Post: “Today, as Cuba careens through its worst economic crisis in 30 years, milk is one of the most potent symbols of the country’s precarious state. Cubans have been hit by mass shortages of dairy and other basic goods, reflecting a confluence of setbacks: The coronavirus pandemic crippled the vital tourism industry. Then-President Donald Trump squeezed the island with extra sanctions, and President Biden held off on reversing them. Socialist ally Venezuela reduced aid and investment.”

“The result: A nation that imports 70 percent of its food has run desperately short of the cash to buy it.”

“Photographs obtained by ITV News cast fresh doubt on the Prime Minister’s claims that he was unaware of rule-breaking in Downing Street during the pandemic,” ITV News reports.

“The four images show the Prime Minister raising a glass at a leaving party on November 13, 2020, with bottles of alcohol and party food on the table in front of him.”

Bloomberg: “With almost a fifth of the world’s people, limited farmland and the increasing challenge of climate change, President Xi Jinping’s government has exhorted farmers to maximize harvests and consumers to minimize waste. It’s built up huge stockpiles to cope with shortages and created new seeds to boost output.”

“Even so, the country still buys about 60% of all the soybeans that are traded internationally, and ranks as the biggest corn and barley importer. It has also recently emerged as one of the world’s largest wheat buyers. That makes soaring global crop costs and, potentially, a looming world food crisis very much a matter of concern for the government, especially in terms of how local prices perform.”

A diplomat at Russia’s mission to the United Nations in Geneva has resigned over the war in Ukraine, writing that he has never been “so ashamed” of his country, in a rare public rebuke of the war from within the Russian government, the Washington Post reports.

Said Boris Bondarev, a counselor in the Russian mission since 2019: “The aggressive war unleashed by Putin against Ukraine and in fact against the entire Western world is not only a crime against the Ukrainian people but also, perhaps, the most serious crime against the people of Russia.”

“New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will lead a trade delegation to the US this week but is yet to confirm a meeting with President Joe Biden at the White House due to her recent Covid-19 infection,” Bloomberg reports.

The U.N. reports that a staggering 95% of Afghans are not getting enough to eat, with that number rising to almost 100% in female-headed households.

“An Israeli lawmaker who quit the government this past week decided to rejoin the ruling, yet shaky, coalition helping Prime Minister Naftali Bennett to stay in power and avoid new elections for the time being,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“Beijing reported a record number of new Covid-19 cases for its current outbreak, reviving concern China’s capital may face a broad lockdown as authorities seek to stamp out community spread of the virus,” Bloomberg reports.

“President Biden said the U.S. would get involved militarily to defend Taiwan if China tries to take it by force, issuing a stark warning to Beijing and appearing to break with the longstanding American policy of strategic ambiguity,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

Said Biden: “We agree with the One China policy and all the attendant agreements we made. But the idea that it can be taken by force, just taken by force, would just not be appropriate.”

He added: “It would dislocate the entire region and be another action similar to what happened in Ukraine. So, it’s a burden that is even stronger.”

New York Times: “The president’s declaration, offered without caveat or clarification, surprised some members of his own administration watching in the room, who did not expect him to promise such unvarnished resolve.”

A White House official said Biden’s remarks did not reflect a decades-old policy shift, the AP reports.

“President Biden has enlisted a dozen Asia-Pacific nations to join a new loosely defined economic bloc meant to counter China’s dominance and reassert American influence in the region five years after his predecessor withdrew the United States from a sweeping trade accord that it had negotiated itself,” the New York Times reports.

“The alliance will bring the United States together with such regional powerhouses as Japan, South Korea and India to establish new rules of commerce in the fastest growing part of the world and offer an alternative to Beijing’s leadership. But wary of liberal opposition at home, Mr. Biden’s new partnership will avoid the market access provisions of traditional trade deals, raising questions about how meaningful it will be.”

Financial Times: Biden to launch trade agreement with 12 Asian nations.

“The Pentagon seized a foreign reporter’s phone and would not allow them to use their electronics while traveling with the Defense Department’s No. 2 official on Sunday,”Politico reports.

“Before boarding the plane at Joint Base Andrews Sunday morning, the reporter was told of a new rule mandating that foreigners flying on Air Force planes using top secret classification would be prohibited from using their electronics on the flight. The reporter, who works for Reuters, is not a U.S. citizen.”